AnimeSuki Forums

Kanzaki Urumi · 2011-10-07, 07:06

As someone who played the game. It was odd to see MC with his buttons up. When I watched the final scene of the stripping, I just lol'ed.

Sides · 2011-10-07, 07:32

OK, this is an anime adaptation and unlike the game the main character has a name, Narukami Yuu (?), so why on earth didn't the writers gave him more personality. During some scene, they could have easily gave him some thought speech/bubbles, so you get an idea how he perceives his current surroundings.
I mean in the game you are suppose to be the character, which it does good imo, but here, he is suppose to be someone else. Currently he seems like empty puppet, that only reacts to other people. I really hope they aren't trying to mimic what was done in the game, trying to force the viewer into the Narukami shoes.

Aoi Toori · 2011-10-07, 07:39

okay it's seem weird see the MC spoke very little every time (like, 2-3 word) they should give the MC more line or at least longer line to blend in more with the others. this is not the game so I think the MC should interact more.

they seem to rushed this ep so they can show izanagi at the end. but oh well I remember this part of the game moves quite fast but NOT that fast.

one major plus from this anime is the BGM and insert songs!! it really brought a lot of nostalgia "everyday's great at your junes!" especially on battle scene! and it's great to know they use the game intro song as OP! (if only I have my old clear game data and PS2 back...). and I also love how they try to put some game elements (calendar, MC's status

) on the anime.

Key Board · 2011-10-07, 08:12

You know why the protagonist has a personality of a log?

because he does

http://randomc.net/image/Persona%204...Large%2026.jpg

意気地なし = No Self Confidence
世間知らず = Ignorant
心貧しい = Low Spirited
腑抜け = Timid
ちぐはぐ = Mismatched sense of Fashion

Give him a chance to level up

Jarmel · 2011-10-07, 08:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Key Board

You know why the protagonist has a personality of a log?

because he does

http://randomc.net/image/Persona%204...Large%2026.jpg

意気地なし = No Self Confidence
世間知らず = Ignorant
心貧しい = Low Spirited
腑抜け = Timid
ちぐはぐ = Mismatched sense of Fashion

Give him a chance to level up

Lol, I would love it if they actually did reflect that. At the end of the episode you get the sense that he's starting to have fun, the first time in the episode.

Also not impressed with facial animations or just the overall animation quality.

Kanzaki Urumi · 2011-10-07, 08:46

Yup, he just needs to do stuff like working part time, eat ramen and complete a gundam set to be the ultimate baller.

spawnofthejudge · 2011-10-07, 09:05

I'm pretty happy with the episode. With as much as they need to cover, the pacing is unsurprising, with the additional caveat of the complaints on the game's pacing at this part. I think this was a good fix.

TheAnimeNetwork's translation team is clearly familiar with the translation of the game, as Kuma/Teddie's verbal tic was switched from tacking on Kuma to his Beary bad puns. There are other examples of that work, too. I'm very satisfied with it thus far.

Already bouncing in anticipation of episode two.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yu Ominae

Did I just see...

Spoiler for Spoiler:

Yes, yes you did. That seemed more just a kid her age expressing "Daddy! Sooo embarrassing!" though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Key Board

You know why the protagonist has a personality of a log?

because he does

http://randomc.net/image/Persona%204...Large%2026.jpg

意気地なし = No Self Confidence
世間知らず = Ignorant
心貧しい = Low Spirited
腑抜け = Timid
ちぐはぐ = Mismatched sense of Fashion

Give him a chance to level up

I couldn't stop laughing when that came up as the eyecatch.

Chaos2Frozen · 2011-10-07, 09:35

I don't know if it's because Persona 4 fits so snugly into an Anime format, but this has got to be the most accurate game adaptation ever

! This was what I wanted them to do was Tales of the Abyss years ago goddamnit! Every thing from the bgm to the changing of the days was just perfect

It's funny watching this straight after Haganai and seeing how different two transfer students were being treated

MagicaLideaL · 2011-10-07, 10:28

Spoiler for Episode 1:

Saturn Beaver · 2011-10-07, 10:41

Yeah, it's a bit fast, it feels like watching a Let's Play of Persona 4 with the more boring parts like grinding cut in order to get straight to important cutscenes and boss battles. Especially with music and the calendar...I wonder how long they will keep it up? I wish they make the protagonist to have more personality as well, though if they really play it that he'll develop more characters as his stat increased, that will be interesting to see. Well, I cut them some slack as this is the first episode and they want to rush to the action scene, as well as having to compress thing in order to fit in the whole game, but I hope they breathe a bit more in later episodes. Really, the extra 40 minutes ep Fate Zero did for a pilot is a pretty good idea, but of course not every series can or even should afford it.

Yuna Amakura · 2011-10-07, 10:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Haruyasha

If you want good game-based anime pacing, see the first half of Valkyria Chronicles, before A-1 butchered the story and budgeted animation.

Only the pacing, because the rest...

tsunade666 · 2011-10-07, 11:12

The pacing is fast and even considering that the first part of the game is darn slow. I still wished they animate the part when Yukiko, Chie and MC are walking home together. Chie is a TON!!! likeable than what I remember when I player P4 dub. Her voiced their is to manly for me an unappealing making her my least favorite. BUT MAN!!! Her voice just made my day that I forgot the fact that they do crappy animation from time to time. Like in the part when they are eating in Junes and with Saki-sempai part. Some scenes are really crappy that it looks like rushed work for me. But overall if it's just adaptation. It's a good one. I even get to hear and see Nanako do her song

such a sweet child. Now onto the fight. They change that part but it still an okay because the MC is so bad ass!!! when his unbuttoning his shirt and that smug on his face!!!! PLEASE MAKE AN AVATAR OF THE LAST FEW SECONDS OF THE EPISODE >< The part when he smiles. Pretty darn badass player ;_;

Sides · 2011-10-07, 11:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Key Board

You know why the protagonist has a personality of a log?

because he does

http://randomc.net/image/Persona%204...Large%2026.jpg

意気地なし = No Self Confidence
世間知らず = Ignorant
心貧しい = Low Spirited
腑抜け = Timid
ちぐはぐ = Mismatched sense of Fashion

Give him a chance to level up

Wait, does it mean we have to make a phone calls/votes, like those reality show, to decide which options he should take? I know that is a big source of income, but that would be exhausting to watch....

klare · 2011-10-07, 11:33

never played the game before, did watch Persona Trinity some time ago but was told it has nothing to do with the game, so treating this as a new series

the animations look fine but the characters are not interesting at all, only one i like is the loli cousin... the things happened after getting inside the TV are not exciting too

dropped for me

dark998 · 2011-10-07, 11:49

My knowledge from the game is limited to watching some video walkthroughs so the studio did a great job adapting the general feel from the game into animation.

Anyway, fairly traditional intro episode. Characters look good most of the time and the action scenes could use more movement but definitely was not a bad start.

Triple_R · 2011-10-07, 11:54

Persona 4 Episode 1 is Exhibit A for why it is possible for an anime studio to show too much fidelity to the source material.

There are things that work in an interactive medium, such as video games, that do not work in a passive medium, such as anime.

Near, if not right at, the very top of that list is "silent protagonist".

I haven't played the Persona 4 game, but I have played most of the Suikoden games, so I know that the silent protagonist can work in RPG format. It works there because the player will naturally infuse the silent protagonist with his or her own personality, living vicariously through him.

But playing as Character X is a very different experience from watching Character X. In the latter case, viewers are generally going to expect to see some semblance of personality arise from the lead character.

And here, it didn't. I fear that it's because AIC just didn't have the balls to give him one for the anime. And so he's left almost entirely speechless, and without a discernible personality. It's not even that he comes across as brooding or jaded or notably depressed. He's just... silent. He's just there.

Now, in spite of this, Persona 4 Episode 1 was a decent watch. If I knew absolutely nothing about the Persona 4 game going into it, I would honestly take it to be an adaptation of a solid shonen title. The next Blue Exorcist, more or less. That's the feeling I took from it overall.

Chie is a fun and likable character, and she basically saved the show for me, given that the other two major characters on display were Mr. Cipher and Buttmonkey Wingman No. 25608. Some of the secondary characters were nice as well. Nanako, for example, was pretty adorable.

The action scenes were decent, and while the pacing shifted during the episode, the overall effect wasn't bad, imo.

But going forward, the male lead is really going to need to get more personality, and I'm hoping that my fears are misplaced here.

Travisaw · 2011-10-07, 12:06

I don't know if guys noticed, but...

Spoiler for Episode 1:

~Travis

~~viperdk1~~ · 2011-10-07, 12:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sides

Wait, does it mean we have to make a phone calls/votes, like those reality show, to decide which options he should take? I know that is a big source of income, but that would be exhausting to watch....

Think again - put simply, the actions the MC (Yu Narukami) did in the game leveled up the five character statistics you see there:

Understanding
Knowledge
Courage
Expression
Diligence

Improving those stats took a while ingame, so I reckon they'll shorten that in the adaptation (if my assumption that they'll be doing something very similar in the anime is correct) - which can only be a good thing. For instance, remember the origami swans in the trailer? Making those raises Understanding in the game.

Apart from anything else, a phone-in style thing wouldn't work, seeing as how raising the stats would change the very fabric of who Yu is (and thus would change his responses to some things) - and as good as the AIC ASTA are, I don't think they could pull off animating an entire episode on the fly every week.

Take his introduction to the school, for example - in the game, there was an option to chastise good 'ol King Moron for calling you (Yu, the MC) a pile of crap. In the anime, given that Yu has average courage (Lv 1), he said nothing to Morooka. If say, he had Lv 3 courage (brave), he would have probably come out with the line I referred to above.

Hope that clears things up.

Oh, and to those people saying that they're dropping this after one episode? Your loss.

You shouldn't judge an entire anime by its first episode, in my eyes.

Besides, as most people have been saying, the start was genuinely the worst part of the game - very slow to get going (think it was about 2 or 3 hours before Izanagi popped up). In my opinion, though, saying this is the worst part of P4 is like comparing something good to something great - which I feel the rest of the game is.

Give it time, and hope that the AIC ASTA have done it justice

Kaoru Chujo · 2011-10-07, 12:18

I enjoyed ep1, right up until the monsters appeared. Maybe this kind of show isn't for me, since I usually find fighting boring. But I loved the quick pace. No problem following to the extent required.

I was surprised that I didn't like some of the highly expert voice-acting. Namikawa Daisuke as the protagonist was good, but I didn't much like the way Horie Yui and Morikubo Showtaro did Chie and Yousuke. Seemed forced and fakey to me.

I did like the calendar: one of the clearest versions of that kind of thing I've seen. And I thought Hirata Chihoko's singing in the OP and ED was excellent.

Dean_the_Young · 2011-10-07, 13:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laith

This episode sucked for the lack of critical hit to the nads :crossesarms:

Talking seriously, it did somethings right, like the Rise commercial changed to a poster. It was pretty fast but then again it takes, like, 3 hours to get to that point in the game so I give it a pass.

Pretty much this. Persona 4 has a really, really slow start before you get any real control.

What's been said has been said. Pacing is high. Voices are... well, I liked the english game voice actors well enough.

Frankly I hate the 'I have to pee!' Yosuke part. One of the worst parts of the game, really, though I was glad Yuu was like 'why should I stop him?' A man's got to do what a man's got to do. I wish they'd kept the critical-hit to the nads and dropped the potty humor.

The anime-style exaggeration effect humor is a minus, though, given how fast and furious it was used.

Was wondering how they were going to handle the fights, and I certainly wasn't disappointed. The only question remaining is if they'll change the protagonists Persona (with the 'Wild Card' role), or if we're stuck with one of the cooler looking ones.

2011-10-07, 08:12	Link #664
Key Board Carbon Join Date: Nov 2003	You know why the protagonist has a personality of a log? because he does http://randomc.net/image/Persona%204...Large%2026.jpg 意気地なし = No Self Confidence 世間知らず = Ignorant 心貧しい = Low Spirited 腑抜け = Timid ちぐはぐ = Mismatched sense of Fashion Give him a chance to level up __________________ "Legitimacy is based on three things. First of all, the people who are asked to obey authority have to feel like they have a voice—that if they speak up, they will be heard. Second, the law has to be predictable. There has to be a reasonable expectation that the rules tomorrow are going to be roughly the same as the rules today. And third, the authority has to be fair. It can’t treat one group differently from another.” Malcolm Gladwell Last edited by Key Board; 2011-10-07 at 08:28.

2011-10-07, 09:35	Link #668
Chaos2Frozen We're Back Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Redgrave City Age: 35	I don't know if it's because Persona 4 fits so snugly into an Anime format, but this has got to be the most accurate game adaptation ever ! This was what I wanted them to do was Tales of the Abyss years ago goddamnit! Every thing from the bgm to the changing of the days was just perfect It's funny watching this straight after Haganai and seeing how different two transfer students were being treated __________________ Devil Trigger , Subhuman , Crimson Cloud , Mad Qualia

2011-10-07, 10:28	Link #669
MagicaLideaL Madder Sky~ Graphic Designer Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Asia Age: 31	Spoiler for Episode 1: I still don't quite get what message persona 4 is giving me. It really is foggy both in anime and my mind too. i guess this might be the mystery part of persona 4. The BGM insert suits the scenery well. Ami Koshimizu is doing one of the character voice which is a plus to me. I dont quite get it when the protagonist says "So this is my power". Does he know that he has some kind of power all along the time?

2011-10-07, 10:41	Link #670
Saturn Beaver Home of Silent Prayer Join Date: Mar 2010	Yeah, it's a bit fast, it feels like watching a Let's Play of Persona 4 with the more boring parts like grinding cut in order to get straight to important cutscenes and boss battles. Especially with music and the calendar...I wonder how long they will keep it up? I wish they make the protagonist to have more personality as well, though if they really play it that he'll develop more characters as his stat increased, that will be interesting to see. Well, I cut them some slack as this is the first episode and they want to rush to the action scene, as well as having to compress thing in order to fit in the whole game, but I hope they breathe a bit more in later episodes. Really, the extra 40 minutes ep Fate Zero did for a pilot is a pretty good idea, but of course not every series can or even should afford it. __________________

2011-10-07, 11:12	Link #672
tsunade666 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: In my room	The pacing is fast and even considering that the first part of the game is darn slow. I still wished they animate the part when Yukiko, Chie and MC are walking home together. Chie is a TON!!! likeable than what I remember when I player P4 dub. Her voiced their is to manly for me an unappealing making her my least favorite. BUT MAN!!! Her voice just made my day that I forgot the fact that they do crappy animation from time to time. Like in the part when they are eating in Junes and with Saki-sempai part. Some scenes are really crappy that it looks like rushed work for me. But overall if it's just adaptation. It's a good one. I even get to hear and see Nanako do her song such a sweet child. Now onto the fight. They change that part but it still an okay because the MC is so bad ass!!! when his unbuttoning his shirt and that smug on his face!!!! PLEASE MAKE AN AVATAR OF THE LAST FEW SECONDS OF THE EPISODE >< The part when he smiles. Pretty darn badass player ;_; __________________ To A certain Lonely Hero

2011-10-07, 07:06	Link #661
Kanzaki Urumi Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004	As someone who played the game. It was odd to see MC with his buttons up. When I watched the final scene of the stripping, I just lol'ed.

2011-10-07, 07:32	Link #662
Sides Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Edinburgh Age: 42	OK, this is an anime adaptation and unlike the game the main character has a name, Narukami Yuu (?), so why on earth didn't the writers gave him more personality. During some scene, they could have easily gave him some thought speech/bubbles, so you get an idea how he perceives his current surroundings. I mean in the game you are suppose to be the character, which it does good imo, but here, he is suppose to be someone else. Currently he seems like empty puppet, that only reacts to other people. I really hope they aren't trying to mimic what was done in the game, trying to force the viewer into the Narukami shoes.

2011-10-07, 07:39	Link #663
Aoi Toori KISEKI da yo!! Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Nadesico-C	okay it's seem weird see the MC spoke very little every time (like, 2-3 word) they should give the MC more line or at least longer line to blend in more with the others. this is not the game so I think the MC should interact more. they seem to rushed this ep so they can show izanagi at the end. but oh well I remember this part of the game moves quite fast but NOT that fast. one major plus from this anime is the BGM and insert songs!! it really brought a lot of nostalgia "everyday's great at your junes!" especially on battle scene! and it's great to know they use the game intro song as OP! (if only I have my old clear game data and PS2 back...). and I also love how they try to put some game elements (calendar, MC's status ) on the anime.

2011-10-07, 08:46	Link #666
Kanzaki Urumi Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004	Yup, he just needs to do stuff like working part time, eat ramen and complete a gundam set to be the ultimate baller.

2011-10-07, 11:33	Link #674
klare Senior Member Join Date: May 2009	never played the game before, did watch Persona Trinity some time ago but was told it has nothing to do with the game, so treating this as a new series the animations look fine but the characters are not interesting at all, only one i like is the loli cousin... the things happened after getting inside the TV are not exciting too dropped for me __________________

2011-10-07, 11:49	Link #675
dark998 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2009	My knowledge from the game is limited to watching some video walkthroughs so the studio did a great job adapting the general feel from the game into animation. Anyway, fairly traditional intro episode. Characters look good most of the time and the action scenes could use more movement but definitely was not a bad start.

2011-10-07, 11:54	Link #676
Triple_R Senior Member Author Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Age: 42	Persona 4 Episode 1 is Exhibit A for why it is possible for an anime studio to show too much fidelity to the source material. There are things that work in an interactive medium, such as video games, that do not work in a passive medium, such as anime. Near, if not right at, the very top of that list is "silent protagonist". I haven't played the Persona 4 game, but I have played most of the Suikoden games, so I know that the silent protagonist can work in RPG format. It works there because the player will naturally infuse the silent protagonist with his or her own personality, living vicariously through him. But playing as Character X is a very different experience from watching Character X. In the latter case, viewers are generally going to expect to see some semblance of personality arise from the lead character. And here, it didn't. I fear that it's because AIC just didn't have the balls to give him one for the anime. And so he's left almost entirely speechless, and without a discernible personality. It's not even that he comes across as brooding or jaded or notably depressed. He's just... silent. He's just there. Now, in spite of this, Persona 4 Episode 1 was a decent watch. If I knew absolutely nothing about the Persona 4 game going into it, I would honestly take it to be an adaptation of a solid shonen title. The next Blue Exorcist, more or less. That's the feeling I took from it overall. Chie is a fun and likable character, and she basically saved the show for me, given that the other two major characters on display were Mr. Cipher and Buttmonkey Wingman No. 25608. Some of the secondary characters were nice as well. Nanako, for example, was pretty adorable. The action scenes were decent, and while the pacing shifted during the episode, the overall effect wasn't bad, imo. But going forward, the male lead is really going to need to get more personality, and I'm hoping that my fears are misplaced here. __________________

2011-10-07, 12:06	Link #677
Travisaw Just passing by... Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Silent Hill Age: 31	I don't know if guys noticed, but... Spoiler for Episode 1: the new character that was created for the VITA has already made her appearance, near the end of broken Trial of the Dragon scene. ~Travis

2011-10-07, 12:18	Link #679
Kaoru Chujo Yuuki Aoi Join Date: Jul 2004	I enjoyed ep1, right up until the monsters appeared. Maybe this kind of show isn't for me, since I usually find fighting boring. But I loved the quick pace. No problem following to the extent required. I was surprised that I didn't like some of the highly expert voice-acting. Namikawa Daisuke as the protagonist was good, but I didn't much like the way Horie Yui and Morikubo Showtaro did Chie and Yousuke. Seemed forced and fakey to me. I did like the calendar: one of the clearest versions of that kind of thing I've seen. And I thought Hirata Chihoko's singing in the OP and ED was excellent. __________________ YUUKI Aoi 悠木碧. b92.03.27 (age 29). 2008 Kurenai (Murasaki). 2009 Yumeiro Pâtissière (Ichigo), Kiruminzuu (Riko), Yutori-chan (Yutori-chan). 2010 Vampire Bund (Mina Tepeş), Shiki (Sunako), Samurai Girls (Juubee), Pokémon: Black and White (Iris). 2011 Madoka Magica (Madoka), Gosick (Victorique), A-Channel (Tooru). 2012 Symphogear (Hibiki). 2014 Pilot's Love Song (Claire/Nina), Nanatsu no Taizai (Diane). 2015 Owari no Seraph (Krul Tepes), Rokka no Yuusha (Fremy). 2016 Boku no Hero Academia (Tsuyu, Froppy). 2017 Kino no Tabi (Kino). 2021 Kumo desu ga (watashi), Kaizoku Oujo (Karin), Heike Monogatari (Biwa), etc., etc. Total of 513 roles in anime and games.